A report by the Coalición Latinoamericana para la Prevención de la Violencia Armada (CLAVE), co-funded by Save the Children. CLAVE (the Latin American Coalition for the Prevention of Armed Violence) created in April 2006, proposes the adoption of arms trade controls as a strategy for the prevention of armed violence. This research study on the effects of armed violence on vulnerable populations from a rights based perspective, presents the major findings of surveys conducted on armed violence across 8 countries in the region, namely : Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay, Ecuador and Paraguay.The paper explains the rationale for the study, the methodology used and the methodological proposal for monitoring. The final two chapters draw together a number of conclusions and recommendations.